Following his dominant title win at UFC 304, Belal Muhammad was called out by the 18-0 undefeated ‘Nomad’ Shavkat Rakhmonov.
The main event of UFC 304 was certainly nothing worthy of keeping the Manchester crowd awake and alert last night. Still, Belal Muhammad is indeed the new UFC welterweight king after an outstanding performance in enemy territory.
Whilst you would assume that both Muhammad and the promotion would opt to keep their cards close to their chest regarding what’s next for the 170lb division – it appears that things are already moving quickly behind the scenes.
Belal Muhammad says there’ll be no immediate rematch for Leon Edwards
Whilst Leon Edwards was able to land a nasty elbow towards the very end of round five, badly cutting Muhammad over the bridge of the nose, the sheer dominance of the performance has put a definitive stamp on their intense rivalry.
When asked at the post-fight press conference whether he’d entertain an immediate rematch against Edwards, Muhammad made his views on what’s next crystal clear.
“Yeah, I’ll give him a rematch in three years. Let him work his way back up. I mean, I thought it was a dominant fight, there’s really no need for a rematch and I don’t think he had that long [enough] reign as the champion where he’s entitled to a rematch.
“For me, I came into his hometown in front of his people, in enemy territory – so it was all a layup for him, but I blocked it.”
Belal Muhammad responds to callout from 18-0 Shavkat Rakhmonov
It wasn’t just Belal Muhammad who threw cold water on the idea of an immediate rematch for Leon Edwards, as UFC CEO Dana White also teased that the promotion will be moving on with the next contender as ‘Rocky’ gets some well-deserved R&R.
“I know Belal’s been training with Khabib, so the performance was, you know, what you’d expect… Yeah, let him [Edwards] rest but we’re talking about other things right now [for welterweight].”
So, what could those ‘other things’ be?
Well, the obvious answer is the 18-0 undefeated contender who took to social media to call his shot – the Kazakh warrior himself, Shavkat ‘Nomad’ Rakhmonov.
Rakhmonov sent ‘Remember The Name’ a message on X following the judges’ scorecards being announced: “Congratulations on your well-deserved victory, @bullyb170 ! I hope you keep your word and defend your title against me when you’re ready, champ.”
It didn’t take long for word of Rakhmonov’s callout to reach the ears of Muhammad, who was given the chance to respond to the message at the UFC 304 post-fight press conference.
“Yeah of course [I’d be willing to fight Shavkat], I’ve literally never turned down a fight, I’ve never backed down from anybody [since] I’ve had so many people turn down fights against me.
“Now, I’m at the top, I’m the man and for me, it’s about cementing my legacy as the best welterweight to ever do it so I’m not gonna sit there and call out these random guys.”
Muhammad explained that no matter the name or their place in the rankings, he’s open to fighting whoever the UFC puts in front of him next – as long as they will add to his growing resume.
“Who’s next in line, who’s the best in line? I’m gonna show you what I am and what I can do. They thought Leon would walk through me, now I’m going to walk through these other guys.”
As of July 28, Rakhmonov is currently the #3 ranked welterweight in the world, only behind the now-champion Muhammad, former king Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards.